XT ST-M770 mtb shifter, what are your opinons?

I just got a set of these because I was looking for something different and had the appropriate derailleurs already. I'm wondering what the opinions of the crowd are now they've been out for a bit. I've not been able to find much with the Googlefu. Specific questions: how durable are they and how long did it take you to get used to them? To be clear I have the cable pull version, but I'll certainly take opinions on the shifting style from the hydraulic 775 folks. Thanks in advance.

Shimano feels that dual control for MTB was pretty far away from the market and that's why they don't make them any more. That said some people love them and are hanging onto it as long as they can. Durability on them has been on par with normal shifters. The only major downside is replacment as a crash can mean one entire assembly, which isn't cheap. The only other thing that I've noticed with them over the years is that they are a little more sensitive to cable friction. Perhaps it's because you're shifting with the backs of your fingers that this is apparent. Regardless I think it's paramount to set them up well and with high quality housing and cables.

Give them a month and you'll love them, hate them or just live with them.

Please do not ever use the term 'brifter', they are shifters.
Give them a month and you'll love them, hate them or just live with them.

Sorry, it's either a love or hate term I guess. The plan is to live with them. The initial ride after the install this morning was promising. They are just such a different style than I'm used to. I mounted them more inboard since the thumb lever impeded my grip. I probably shifted more than I normally do just to play with them. I left feeling like the lever should be firmed up a little, but I liked them generally. I just wanted to see others' opinions of them. Thanks.

Sorry, it's either a love or hate term I guess. The plan is to live with them. The initial ride after the install this morning was promising. They are just such a different style than I'm used to. I mounted them more inboard since the thumb lever impeded my grip. I probably shifted more than I normally do just to play with them. I left feeling like the lever should be firmed up a little, but I liked them generally. I just wanted to see others' opinions of them. Thanks.

Brifter needs to burn in hell along with the guy that coined it.

Most people that like the dual control levers ditch the thumb lever. It comes of with a single screw iirc.

Most people that like the dual control levers ditch the thumb lever. It comes of with a single screw iirc.

Such strong language from a monk. Is it really that bad?

After another couple rides, I'm really liking the ease of shifting. I'm still getting used to the style, but the impression they're leaving is good. I thought perhaps the play in the lever might affect my confidence with hard braking, but so far it doesn't appear to be an issue. I do think I'll look into removing the redundant thumb lever though. Thanks for the suggestion and the experiential opinion.

Brief update, the thumbies are gone. The area around my grip is lovely, I have more room than with the older style trigger shifters too. I tend to use 2 fingers for braking instead of the pointer alone, which gives me a more solid feeling when braking hard. The lever also doesn't feel loose when using 2 fingers. Perhaps, I get a better more direct pull with 2 than with one? Shifting is simple and smooth, the way it was meant to be. I can see why this style may not be applicable to freeride or downhill, but for XC they are quite nice. Oh, I like how they look too.